New Features:
Version 0.980, through 0.982
Improved support for scripting functions.
Scripting now uses drop-down functions. Scripting
is now site independant so that a script
can operate more easily accross multiple
sites. Fixed a bug that sometimes interfered
with site saving when multiple sites are
used.
Version 0.978
Major Update. All users should change to the version
.978 (or newer) as soon as possible.
This version fixes a several bugs, including
a compiler bug that prevents the software
from saving workspace and site files. This
bug also causes Sicontroller to crash unexpectedly
when making configuration changes to the
Sicon-8. This release circumvents the compiler
problem by using pcode, which is actually
smaller and faster than the standard release
versions. Added the ability (experimental)
to select multiple files on the audio recorder
form and upload them or play them back in
batches. This function is preliminary and
probably contains bugs, but they should not
be anything too serious. Please let us know
if you encounter any strange behaviour using
this function.
Version 0.976
V0.976 changes the way meter alarms and min-max
scales are handled. Previously, alarms would
be defaulted if a warning alarm had a greater
value than the corresponding critical alarm.
For instance, it would be impossible to set
an upper critical alarm for a value of 5
if the upper warning alarm had a value of
6. If that happened, the Sicontroller software
immediately defaulted the alarms to the factory
settings. This change allows users to set
alarm values to anything they want. In addition,
it is now possible to set the meter min value
greater than or equal to the max value. If
you do, the analog meter won't work and will
display a warning message, but the software
will allow it.
Changed the way pauses are entered into telephone
dialing strings. Previously, users clicked
a pause button. They now use a hotkey and
assign a pause from the drop down menu. Pauses
are now visible in the dialing string as
well.
Fixed a bug in the site save/load routine
that sometimes prevented saved sites from
loading. This bug was caused by an encryption/decryption
problem where the file's password was not
properly encoded under some conditions.
Moved the "Status Alarm Enabled"
checkbox in the channel configuration menu
to a location away from the warning alarm
setup to avoid user confusion.
Version 0.975
This version fixes several minor, but
longstanding bugs, including the ability
to store meter values as negative numbers.
It also fixes the invalid checksum
error that pops up occasionally when
uploading or downloading data from your Sicon-8.
This version uses a new format of .SFF
flash file for upgrading the firmware of
your Sicon-8. Previous versions of
the sff file will not work with this version.
A new universal site configuration format has been developed for saving
your site files. This version is now indepenant of the software
version that you are using. Because the formatting is now
radically different, you should use the export function to save site
data before installing the version 0.975. You will have to
re-enter your passwords and user account names when you start the new
version, however, these will be portable thereafter. You can then
import your old configuration data or you can download the data
directly from your Sicon-8 hardware, if that is available to you.
The export and import functions will remain for those that wish
to export site configurations without giving users access to their
account information.
Among the many other new features of v0.975 are the following:
1. Allow the user to switch between mouse-down to operate a relay
and CTRL+Mouse-down to operate a relay. This avoids accidently
operating a relay when using a touchpad type of mouse.
2. Fixed a minor bug where the date overflows the text box in the configuration menu if the month has two digits.
3. Added the ability to display only 0, 1 or 2 digits after the
decimal point. Previous versions showed three decimal places.
4. Added the ability to change the color of the status lights on
a per channel basis. So, channel 1 might be our generic green and
dark, but channel 2 might be green and red, channel 3 might be yellow
and blue, etc..
Version 0.972
Modem to modem communications is now supported.
It is possible to set up an auto-answering
modem on the Sicon-8 end, connected to its
serial port and then dial into the Sicon-8's
modem using our software. This is an alpha
release of the modem to modem functions and
is not guaranteed to function with all modems,
but it has worked with several that we have
tested in-house. The host PC to modem communications
must be set for 38,400b, N, 8, 1 with no
flow control. The actual connect speed of
the two modems is not critical. The modem
used at the Sicon-8 end must be an auto-answer
type and must not be set to require DCE/DTE
control from a terminal program. We have
tested the Sicon-8 using a US Robotics Sportster
modem with hardware switches to configure
the modem's mode, however, modems with serially
(software) controlled switches should work,
provided that they are set correctly in advance.
This version of the firmware also features
some additional enhancement of the communications
routines that improve the ability to stay
connected to the Sicon-8.
Saved configuration data from v9.71 or below
cannot be used for this version. If you have
a previous version of the software and want
to save your setup data, use the export function
in the "Site" menu to save your
configuration before upgrading to this software
version.
Version 0.970
Scripting is now enabled, but untested and
undocumented. Uses very powerful, but sometimes
complex, Visual Basic scripting. Virtually
anything can be done using scripting, including
complex tasks requiring monitoring of meter
and status values feeding decision trees.
If you can write VB scripts, feel free to
explore.
Version 0.961
The firmware updater program has been added
to the Sicontroller. There is no longer a
need to download or install a separate program
in order to upgrade your Sicon-8's firmware.
The new update feature uses Sicon firmware
Files (.sff).
Known or suspected bugs in the current software
release:
May not display & handle active critical
alarms correctly. This bug is actually firmware
related and affects the acknowledgement of
alarms on-screen. It is possible that the
software may fail to acknowledge all alarms
when multiple alarms are displayed. Alarms
do display in the software and setup of alarms
is okay and dial out functions also work.
The bug also causes the Sicon-8 hardware
to flash an error LED on the front panel
when alarms are acknowledged while the alarm
condition still exists. Toggling the remote-local
mode stops the error alert. This bug should
be fixed in an upcoming firmware release.
The Sicon-8 hardware
does not correctly calibrate the meters if the the meter minimum
scale value is something other
than zero. This is actually not a bug. It
happens because internally, the Sicon-8's
meters are all referenced to zero, as are
almost all transmitter related readings. The Sicontroller
software lets you set minimum scale values below zero, but if the
sensor output voltage goes negative, the scale may be off. A
future revision of the
Sicon-8's firmware will allow for non-zero
referenced metering and the software will
fully implement that change when available..
Audio upload problem (believed fixed). When
trying to upload audio files to the Sicon-8,
the user gets the box that says it's uploading
for a second, but the upload bar never starts,
then the uploading box closes as if the upload
is completed, but it doesn't actually upload
anything. This function should now be working
again, but if it happens to you, please let
us know.
Audio upload problem. Sometimes, one or more
audio files does not upload correctly. When
done uploading audio, simply play all of
the audio back and verify that it is okay.
You can do this by connecting an amplified
speaker to the audio out jack or by plugging
a phone into the front panel programming
port. Then highlight the audio track to test
in and push the playback button (the one
with the arrow). You will hear the recorded
audio played back to you. If you find a track
that failed to upload properly, just upload
any bad or missing audio again. This happens
only rarely.
Some new users have reported difficulty in
connecting to their Sicon-8s for the first
time. There could also be several (non-Sicon
related) reasons why this sort of thing occurs,
including a bad serial cable, wrong com port
selected, bad USB-to-serial adaptor (very,
very common), mistook the software password
for the hardware access code (see tips below)
and others. If the problem is not one of the afore mentioned
and you cannot seem to connect to your Sicon-8
for the first time, we would like to hear
about it. Please e-mail or call us.
The FREE Sicontroller program lets you monitor,
control and setup your Sicon-8 from any PC
equipped with a serial port or a USB-to-serial
adaptor. The Sicontroller program also works
with serial-to-Ethernet converters and can
be used locally or over a network or the
Internet. You can monitor one or many different
Sicon-8s using the tabs in the Sicontroller
program. In addition to basic setup and control,
the Sicontroller adds extra features, not
found in the hardware such as sending e-mails
during alarm conditions & automatically
syncronizing the Sicon-8's clock to your
local PC.
The CircuitWerkes Sicontroller download area
Right click here to download the current Sicontroller software
installer (version 0.982). When prompted,
save the file to your PC. Do not select the
run from the current location option. After
the software has been downloaded to your
PC, you can open the installer.
This is beta software and may still have bugs or experience
unexpected crashes. If you encounter any
bugs (or if something doesn't seem right
to you), we want to hear about it so that
we can make the software better for you.
NOTE: Version 0.975 * higher use a different configuration
format from previous releases of the Sicontroller
software. As a result, the previous installations
must be completely uninstalled, including
much of the data stored in the "data"
subfolder of the Sicontroller directory.
If you have used a previous version of the
software and wish to save your settings,
use the "export" function in the
"Site" menu to save the settings,
then perform the un-install process selecting
the option that removes configuration data.
After you have installed the current version
of the software, you can use the "import"
function to restore your configuration data.
If you have no data that you want to save,
then you may simply delete the contents of
your data subfolder prior to installing the
latest version of the software. For recent
versions of the Sicontroller, uninstalling
the old configuration data can be done by
making sure that the 'Delete all data' box
is checked in the uninstaller program. For
older versions of the Sicontroller, you will
have to manually locate the "sicontroller/data"
folder and delete all files except for those
with the .vsf and .txt extensions.
Minimum requirements:
- Windows 2000, XP, XP pro or Vista. Might
also work under Windows98SE and ME if updated
GDI32.DLL is installed (This has not been
tested).
- Pentium III @ 500 mHz and 128 megabytes of
RAM for single sites. Pentium III @ 1gHz
and 512megabytes of RAM suggested for multiple
site use.
- 5 megabytes of disk space for the Sicontroller
Software.
- 10 (additional) megabytes of disk space for
the vocabulary (if desired).
- Sicon-8 with Hardware version 4.5 or later
(v5.3+ recommended for all features).
- Sicon-8 firmware version 1.10 or higher (version
1.13 recommended). See below:
Important:
In order to use this software, your firmware
version should be version 1.10 or higher.
If your firmware is version 1.03 or lower,
your Sicon-8 is limited to 16 channels
and
the software will not function properly.
To find out what firmware revision you
have,
log into your Sicon-8 by either calling
it
or using the local phone port and entering
DTMF command 96. Your Sicon-8 will speak
its current firmware version back to you.
Do not attempt to use the Sicontroller
software
with firmware older than 1.10 or you could
cause your Sicon-8 to malfunction. Contact
us for a free firmware upgrade if you would
like to use the Sicontroller software.
If your Sicon-8 has firmware version 1.03
or newer, its firmware is flash upgradeable and does not require opening the box to
upgrade the firmware. To check your firmware
version via telephone, enter 96. If your
firmware version is older than version
1.15,
some of the functions may not work properly.
For instance, version 1.10 does not properly
schedule events using the software. All
versions
prior to version 1.13 cannot use the software
for meter calibrations and version 1.13
causes
the spoken units labels to be cross linked
between some adjacent channels. Attempting
to use the software for calibrating meters
will probably corrupt any existing calibrations
(on all channels), forcing you to do all
of them over using the telephone. Version
1.14 (and possibly other older versions)
have a bug that causes the Super-Administrator's
DTMF access code to not program correctly.
Version 0.959 of the Sicontroller Software
will correctly program the Super-Admin's
telephone access code despite the bug,
but
the code cannot be programmed via DTMF.
Version
1.13 works as well, except for the cross-linked
word problem. If you would like to update
your firmware, please contact us for instructions.
If you have firmware version 1.10 through
1.13, you can use the Sicontroller software
to download the current hardware values
and
save them locally. Then, you install the
new firmware and upload your original configuration
data to the upgraded chip. If you want
to
upgrade your firmware & do not want
to
"flash" the firmware, please
contact
us and we will be happy to send you a new
CPU in exchange for your old one.
Installation Tips and Tricks:
You can download the software and explore
it, even if you're not connected to the
actual
Sicon-8. Labels and other configuration
data
can be saved and then uploaded to the Sicon-8
when you are actually connected.
You will next use the software to connect
to the Sicon-8. Once connected, you can
easily
reconfigure everything on the Sicon-8 in
just a few minutes.
The Sicontroller software has its own security
keys and accounts which are not the same
as the access codes for the Sicon-8 hardware.
You must setup passwords for the Software
AND the hardware before you can control
or
setup your hardware. In addition to user
passwords, the Sicontroller software requires
the Super-Administrator to create a "site
key" which is a security measure designed
to keep others from staling your software
site definition files and using them without
knowing your passwords. Once the Site Key
has been set, you will only need to routinely
enter your user names and associated passwords.
Again, the software accounts are not the
same as the hardware access codes. When
first
installing the software, you must (at least)
setup a master user account (consisting
of
a user name and password) and a site key
(for the software client) and then you
have
to know the default serial access code
of
the Sicon-8 which is 12345678. The serial
access code is entered when you open the
configuration menu and push the buttom
named
"Access Codes". Obviously, you
should change the master serial password
in your Sicon-8 before putting it into
real-world
service. Note that the serial password
is
not the same as the DTMF password. Entering
your DTMF access code won't get your PC
access
to the Sicon-8.
When you get to the audio section of the
Sicontroller program, you will need to
upload
any custom or new audio to the unit. If
you
are upgrading from a 16 channel version
of
the firmware or are planning to upload
the
entire word array, it will take about 20
minutes and you will need to have downloaded
the audio WAV files and (optionally) the
audio configurations file below. The custom
wav files that had recorded can then be
dropped
onto the Sicontroller's audio grid and
uploaded
to the unit as well.
- Right click here to download the Sicontroller audio WAV files
(8MB, zipped). When prompted, save the file
to your PC. Do not select the run from the
current location option. Unzip the files
and place them in your
C:\Program Files\CircuitWerkes\SiController\Data\Sicontroller
Audio\CurrentWordList directory
The files can be placed elsewhere, but
the
audio configuration files below are pre-keyed
to those locations. If you decide to put
the sounds in another directory, don't use
the existing audio configuration files below.
- Right click here to download the Sicontroller audio configurations
for 16 and 32 channel firmware. When prompted,
save the file to your PC. Do not select
the
run from the current location option. These
files should be unzipped to your
C:\Program Files\CircuitWerkes\SiController\Data
directory.
- Click here for the latest version of the
technical manual with software instructions included. The
software instructions are a work-in-progress
and will be somewhat incomplete. They are
intended to give a knowledgable user a basic
overview of the functions available. We assume
that you are already familiar with the workings
of the Sicon-8 and Windows based programs
before you begin.
- Firmware Updates:
The Sicontroller software includes the ability
to update the Sicon-8's firmware when new
features are added or when bugs are discovered. Generally, we think it is a good idea to
update the firmware whenever a new version
is released. Before upgrading, you should
verify that your firmware is older than the
upgrade. You can check your firmware revision
via DTMF command 96 which will cause the
Sicon-8 to speak its version number. After
verifying that your firmware is older, use
the Sicontroller software to download your
current configuration data from the Sicon-8
because it is sometimes necessary to reset
the Sicon-8s to their factory default states
after upgrading the firmware. If you have
used the software to save the configuration
data locally, you can upload it back to the
Sicon-8 in a few seconds, if necessary. Firmware version 1.20 is necessary to work
properly with the Sicon-8's intergral Web
server and fixes a bug found in version 1.19.
Firmware. Version 1.20 can be downloaded by right clicking here. Save the file where you can find it and
then run the firmware updater found on
the
"site" menu. The current .sff
file
(Firmware_v01_20.sff) works with Sicontroller
0.975 and up only. If you do not have a Web Server yet, you
do not need the v 1.20 firmware. There will be a firmware release coming
soon that will provide improved functionality.
If you are not running a Web server, the
latest firmware that you should be using
is 1.17. Contact us by e-mail or telephone
if you need version 1.17 firmware.
Note:
Although the Sicontroller software does
not
support Windows 98 or ME, it may be possible
to use the software with these systems.
In
order to do so, your PC must have Microsoft's
"GDI32.DLL" installed. We have
not tested Sicontroller with older Windows
systems and can make no representations
about
whether or not the software will work on
them.
